


A Moment of Calm Before the Storm

by MarieBoheme



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Cloti Fall Festival 2020, F/M, Final Fantasy VII Spoilers, Light Angst, Mention of Canonical Character Death, Pre-Relationship, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarieBoheme/pseuds/MarieBoheme
Summary: Cloud and Tifa share a moment alone as they prepare to head towards the Northern Crater. Written for Free Day of the Cloti Fall Festival 2020 (inspired by the Quiet Night prompt).
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40
Collections: CloTi Fall Festival 2020 (ClotiWeek)





	A Moment of Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't want the Cloti Fall Festival to pass by without offering something, as I've enjoyed all of the great content that has been created this week. I've always loved how close they sit together in front of the bonfire at Cosmo Canyon, which is what inspired this short, mostly introspective piece. This was originally an idea I pitched for the Cloti zine, but since I was ultimately accepted into the NSFW part of the zine I ended up going with another idea. 
> 
> Thank you to daBOSSz, splinterfranxx and 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 from the Once Upon a Star server for beta-ing this!
> 
> "Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision.”  
> ― Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

“Cloud, do you think we’ll be okay?”

The question caught him off guard. They’d been sitting in silence for so long, staring at the dancing glow of the Cosmo Canyon bonfire, that he’d half-expected Tifa to have fallen asleep. He turned his gaze slightly, just enough to study her expression, which remained trained on the fire. Instantly, he was stricken by how the light of the flames illuminated her face, bringing out the intensity of her red eyes while also highlighting the anguish in her expression. 

Cloud hated seeing Tifa like this, not only because of the fierce protectiveness he felt when it came to her, but also because he always struggled with his inability to bring her some semblance of comfort. Aerith had always been the best suited for navigating emotional conflict, being able to soothe the most distraught among them. She’d taken a shine to Tifa in particular, and the two had forged a significant bond since leaving Midgar. 

But Aerith was gone now and had been for a while, and while he was still trying to figure out a way to deal with his own grief, Cloud had become more concerned with the way her loss was affecting his childhood friend, who’d lost her closest confidant. It was an absence that was never more clear than right at this moment, when Tifa was struggling with a barrage of emotions he didn’t know how to handle. Usually, there was another member of his team around to fill that gap—even Cid made for a decent companion to commiserate with, if no one was bothered by the vulgar proclamations and cigarette smoke.

Cloud, on the other hand, had proven to be more than useless at comforting Tifa on more than one occasion. Always afraid of showing too much, of feeling too much, when he was around her, he instead ended up not doing enough. It was an internal struggle that had increased tenfold since leaving Mideel. How could he hide anything from her when she’d peered so thoroughly into his subconscious and seen the integral role she’d played in all his major life decisions?

It was just the two of them now, the rest of the group having retired for the night or wandered off for a nightcap. There was no one for Cloud to hope Tifa could turn to for comfort, for answers to the questions that were plaguing them all as they approached the Northern Crater, and what could very well be the end of everything.

When he didn’t answer, Tifa turned to lock eyes with him. He hadn’t even realized he was still staring at her. He fought the urge to look away, knowing that she would misinterpret his reaction for something _she_ had done wrong.

“Cloud?”

What would Aerith say in this situation? She’d no doubt have been a beacon of positivity, promising Tifa that they were sure to make it through alive. Yuffie or Barret were the most likely to boast certain victory. If Cloud adopted either approach, it would come across as artificial and hollow. She knew him too well to be fooled by any attempt to lie to her, no matter how well-intentioned. 

“I–I don’t know,” he answered honestly, annoyed at the unsteady timbre of his voice. “But we’re the best chance the planet has. As long as we stay together.”

She gave him a small smile. The sight of it spread a feeling of warmth through his chest stronger than that of the fire before them. “You’re right. As long as we’re together…”

A twinkle appeared in her eye. In an instant, she’d shifted positions, moving closer to him along the canyon floor so they were side by side. “I’ve been thinking about the promise you made to me, back when we were kids. What do you think about...renewing it?”

Cloud stared back at her with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she began, her gaze flickering away from his momentarily before returning, “instead of you promising to come and rescue me if I’m in trouble, we should promise that we’ll protect each other going forward, that we’ll always confide in one another if we’re struggling, no matter what. How does that sound?”

She was closer now, having leaned in as she described the promise she wanted them to make. It reminded him so much of that night they’d spent atop the water tower in Nibelheim, before everything had gone wrong and so much had been taken away from them. Despite everything they’d been through, all the hardships they’d experienced, he still felt like a flustered teenager, so enamoured with the girl next door that he couldn’t imagine possibly denying her request. And on a more superficial level, he couldn’t help but revel in the fact that Tifa still wanted him to be her protector, her confidant, after all the ways he’d failed her. 

“Of course,” he answered softly. He couldn’t possibly fathom any other response. 

Her face lit up, her delight infectious as he quickly returned her smile. “Thank you, Cloud. That means a lot to me. I promise not to let you down.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, his smirk betraying his jest. 

With another smile, Tifa turned her attention back to the fire, her content expression not fading in the slightest as they fell back into a comfortable silence. Despite the end of their conversation, neither attempted to move away from the other, still so close that their shoulders almost touched. 

He’d just begun to consider calling it a day with the hope of getting more than a handful of hours of sleep when he felt a gentle pressure against his shoulder. A familiar smell surrounded him as he realized, with a slight panic, that Tifa had fallen asleep against him, her hair tickling his cheek and her breath ghosting the crook of his neck. Cloud debated nudging her awake to suggest they head back to their respective rooms at the Shildra Inn, but changed his mind as he realized how comfortable she seemed. If anyone deserved a moment of uninterrupted peace, it was Tifa, and if she didn’t stir on her own, he would wake her himself, eventually. 

Eventually.


End file.
